Tag: Icon

Lighting Our Little Lights

Two Bright Lights from my life: Metropolitan Vitaly and my godmother Princess Eve Galitzine, Memory Eternal!

A Conversation with Metropolitan Vitaly, 1986

Having been baptised recently, you are very happy and think everything is good- all of our sins have been erased from the Book of Life, and we are now assured of being admitted into Heaven, Paradise. But, for some reason, even though we’ve been baptised, we continue to commit many of the same sins. And when we meet with others, we sometimes find it difficult to get along with them. This is because both we and other people are full of passions which don’t get along with one another. I am asking you to be realistic. It is important to realize that the Church is not a Society of Saints, but a hospital in which we can sometimes hear screaming. And like all hospitals there are some doctors in it. And it is necessary to to take bitter medicine to help us struggle with our passions. Saints are people who have struggled with, and overcome their passions. They are healthy people, but they’re still in the hospital… We are all sinners, but we in the Church want to struggle with our sins. …

When we go before an icon it is important not just to bow down with our bodies, but to bow down our souls. Why do we light a candle before the icon? When we light a candle we are lighting our little light before Christ, and the burning candle symbolizes our life from beginning to end. In this context, all our actions must come from the inside, not the outside, including our work and everything we’re doing… All our life is a fight against two things, our soul and our body/flesh. The fight goes on until we die… We must always try to remember our goal of acquiring the Grace of the Holy Spirit, then we’ll be intelligent Christians.

Christ Has Ascended!

Ascension Icon, 6th century – St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mt. Sinai

Traditional Ascension Greeting: “Christ has Ascended!“

The Feast Day of Christ’s Ascension comes forty days after Pascha. Today from the Mount of Olives, the risen Lord ascends to Paradise upon a Divine Cloud! He ascends in the Flesh, to the place where He Was before Time.

Some Ascension Customs

Of course, if at all possible, the most important thing to do on the Ascension, is to attend Divine Liturgy!

As with any Great Feast, those who have to work on this day try to give some of their earnings to the poor.

Cloud-watching today is popular, as Christ went up in a cloud. If the weather is good, some go for a mountain hike, as Jesus went up the Mount of Olives for the Ascension. Throw a blanket on the grass or scrub, lay back, enjoy the clouds (search for a Lamb-shape), and have a picnic. If there are white wildflowers available to pick and you’re not too far from home, pick a few and bring them home to your icon corner. If you live where there are olive trees, a few branches are also collected for the icon bouquet.

Last year on the Ascension, there were rainbow clouds in our area, and a super large one was shaped like the Greek letter Omega!

Clergy traditionally wear white vestments today. Some lay people also wear white on the Ascension – because of the clouds, and decorate their icon corner with white flowers.

It’s also a custom to take a dip in the ocean on the Ascension, as the sea draws its water from the clouds.

On the Ascension, farmers share the milk with friends, neighbours and relatives. Remaining milk is used to make the traditional rice pudding.

Here’s something sweet and new… Some families make “Cloud Cookies” for the Ascension. Bake a flat sugar cookie, and after cooling, decorate the top with blue icing for the sky, and then pop a few white mini marshmallows on top, as clouds.

An old English country custom was to collect rainwater if it rained on the Ascension, and drink it. I tried this once. However, as I live in the city, rainwater from the overhead clouds tasted a bit odd… so I shared the remainder with my thirsty garden!

Traditional response for the Ascension greeting is, “From Earth to Heaven!”

His footprint is imprinted into the rock and can be seen in the Chapel of the Ascension, which was built over the spot.

How beautiful is the Mystery of Today!

To the Mother of God

This Icon is a variant of the Hodegetria (Directress) style icon. Here we see the Most Holy Theotokos and her Son, Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ Who stands beside her… His Hand poised, ready to bless us.

Four Beautiful Prayers to the Mother of God

O Theotokos and Virgin, rejoice, O Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast born the Saviour of our souls. Amen.

It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos. Ever-Blessed, and Most Pure and the Mother of our God. More honourable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word. True Theotokos, we magnify Thee. Amen.

Beneath thy tender mercy we take refuge, O Theotokos. Reject not our prayer in our distress but deliver us from harm, O Only Pure and Blessed Lady. Amen

Most Glorious Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ our God, receive our prayer and present it to thy Son and our God, that, for thy sake, He may save our souls. Amen.

Tender Mercy

Icon of the Virgin Mary, Theotokos St. Sophia Church, Canada

The Most Holy Mother of God prays for us ceaselessly. She is always visiting us. Whenever we turn to her in our heart, she is there. After the Lord, she is the greatest protection of mankind. How many churches there are in the world dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God! How many healing springs where people are cured of their ailments have sprung up in places where the Most Holy Theotokos appeared and blessed those springs to heal both the sick and the healthy! She is constantly, by our side, and all too often we forget her. ~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

Happy Family Day!

Rear view of family housing in Bari, Italy – 2017. This is near St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Basilica, which houses his myrrh-streaming relics. They were moved in the 11th century from his original shrine in Myra, Turkey, to Bari, Italy- for protection, when Myra came under Saracen rule.

This year, secular Family Day also falls on the ancient and beautiful Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple.

Happy Feast Day and Family Day to my family, near and far… Related by blood or Spirit. May God grant all your petitions according to your salvation!

Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ~ Exodus 20:12

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell in unity! ~Psalm 133:1

My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. ~ Proverbs 6:20

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. ~ Proverbs 17:6

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her… ~ Proverbs 31:28

As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. ~ Isaiah 66:13

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. ~ St. Matthew 12:50.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named… ~Ephesians 3:14-15

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. ~ Colossians 3:20

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers… ~ 1 Timothy 5:1

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ~ 1 Timothy 5:8

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation… ~ 1 Peter 2:2

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ~ 1 Peter 4:8

Uncontainable

Jesus Christ the Pantocrator

Icon from St. Sophia Orthodox Church, Canada

Pantocrator from the Greek, means Ruler of the Universe. In this icon, Christ’s right Hand is raised in a blessing gesture and His left Hand holds a Gospel.

Gospel came from the Old English word godspel (long “o” sound) literally meaning good news. The first four books of the New Testament are written by the four evangelists (the bearers of good news) Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospels narrate our Lord’s teachings, His life, death and Resurrection. They invite us to believe Jesus Christ was born to save the world from sin, and help humanity to truly know God as a Father.

A favourite passage of mine:

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. ~ St. John 21:25

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